Hello,
It sounds like you shouldn’t have a problem. The fleas will go away on their own without a host (they may be gone already). The vacuuming and rug powder will speed up the eradication process. It’s an advantage that you don’t have carpeting, as there are few places the fleas can develop without it.
It’s strange that you’ve found fleas in your home without pets. Did you move in recently? If not, they came from somewhere. Like you mentioned, cats or urban wildlife. Ensure there are none living in/around the house (basement, attic, under porch, crawlspace, etc). They can hitchhike on people, but this isn’t too common.
If there aren’t any animals in your home, and your family isn’t being bitten, then the fleas aren’t capable of laying eggs. They need blood to reproduce. The emerged adults will die in a week or two without blood. Thus, the adult fleas will be gone and there won’t be offspring.
The biggest obstacle is that flea powder won’t kill the pupae or pre-emerged adults, and they can live for up to 5 months in a dormant-like state. Vacuuming forces them to emerge. This is why vacuuming would still be advisable in your situation. Vacuuming every other day is excessive, but it’s still a good idea to do it more than usual. When vacuuming, focus on the entrances, the area rugs, and crevices in the floor or baseboards.
It’s likely that fleas are developing in your yard in areas that are shaded, moist and protected from the wind. Areas that animals like to rest in. Flea eggs and larvae will die in open, sun-exposed areas. It can help to trim areas of dense vegetation around you home. Blocking access underneath a porch is also a good idea.
As far as repelling cats (and other animals):
- Motion activated sprinklers
- Coyote/fox urine granules
- Nature’s mace (not sure what’s in this, looks like it may be pepper or other aromatic oils)
Hope this helps!
